Oral History in the Mid-Atlantic Region Conference News and More

News and Notes from OHMAR

Virtual Conference Registration Remains Open!

Registration remains open for our annual conference, “Time to Chat? Oral History as Conversation.” The conference will take place via Zoom Friday, April 29 – Saturday, April 30, 2022. We look forward to our panels, business meeting, a special documentary screening, Martha Ross Prize and Pogue Award presentations, networking session, a skill-building workshop, and much more. Click here for the draft schedule at a glance, and to register. (Registration ranges from $10 to $35.) We welcome oral history practitioners and enthusiasts at all levels! Please help us spread the word. 

Conference Keynote Speakers Announced

We are pleased to share that our 2022 conference keynote speaker will be Amy Weinstein, Senior Curator of Oral History and Vice President of Collections at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. Weinstein has been recording oral histories with 9/11 responders, survivors, family members, journalists, artists, and others affected by the terrorist attacks for the past 15 years. She holds diverse curatorial responsibilities related to the acquisition and interpretation of artifacts for the Museum and has participated in the curation of temporary exhibitions including K-9 Courage and Hope at Ground Zero. She has a lifelong interest in literature and children’s books and is the author of Once Upon a Time (Princeton Architectural Press, 2005). A new book, Storytelling in Museums, will feature her chapter discussing ways in which artifacts and oral histories work together at the 9/11 Museum. Weinstein holds an MA in the history of decorative arts from the Cooper Hewitt / New School. Museum work is a second career for her, having earlier earned a JD at Brooklyn Law School and a BA at the University of Pennsylvania.

Weinstein will be joined by her one-time narrator, Joseph Pfeifer. Pfeifer was the first New York City Fire Department (FDNY) Chief at the World Trade Center attacks on 9/11. He later played a significant command role during Hurricane Sandy and helped manage NYC’s Ebola Response efforts. Pfeifer retired from the FDNY as an assistant chief and the founding director of FDNY’s Center for Terrorism and Disaster Preparedness.

Pfeifer is currently a senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, teaching on crisis leadership and leading research teams to examine preparedness of international cities and their response to extreme events. He is also the Director for Crisis Leadership at Columbia University, a senior fellow at the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, and a visiting instructor at the Naval Postgraduate School. He has taught senior leaders worldwide about crisis leadership, disaster management, and organizational resilience. Pfeifer has written widely and is the author of The New York Times' bestseller Ordinary Heroes: A Memoir of 9/11.

Board Elections

The OHMAR leadership team consists of a president, vice president, secretary, development director, communications director, treasurer, and six at-large members. You can see more about the duties and responsibilities of each position here. You can see the current leadership team here.

Elections are held during the board meeting portion of our annual conference. This year, the following individuals are running for reelection: Secretary Catherine Mayfield, Communications Director Owen Rogers, Development Director Jillian Decker, At-Large Member Molly Graham, and At-Large Member John Horan. (All bios available here.) If you would like to run for secretary, communications director, development director, or the two at-large seats yourself, please email Melissa Ziobro, mziobro@monmouth.edu.